Treatment and prevention of viral infection

Abstract

Described herein is an agent for use in a method of treating and/or preventing a viral infection, and compositions comprising said agent, are described. The agent modulates the expression of one or more circadian clock genes, or the activity of one or more circadian clock gene products. The agent may comprise or consist of an agonist of REV-ERBα.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of treating or preventing a viral infection, the method comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of an agent that modulates the expression of REV-ERB gene, or activity of REV-ERB gene product, to a subject in need thereof. 
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the REV-ERB gene is REV-ERBα or REV-ERBβ. 
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the agent comprises a nucleic acid. 
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 3 , wherein the nucleic acid is a siRNA. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 2 , wherein the agent increases the expression or activity of REV-ERBα. 
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 5 , wherein the agent comprises an agonist of REV-ERBα. 
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 6 , wherein the agonist comprises a synthetic or naturally-occurring ligand of REV-ERBα. 
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 7 , wherein the agonist of REV-ERBα comprises GSK4112, SR9009, SR9011, or GSK2667. 
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the viral infection is caused by a pathogenic virus. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the pathogenic virus is selected from hepatitis B, hepatitis C, vesicular stomatitis virus, Lassa virus, influenza, murine leukemia virus, HIV, Zika virus, and Ebola.